| Aug. 31, 2004
Upper
Peninsula Telehealth Network wins ‘Cool’ U.P. Award
UPTN based at Marquette General Health System
The Upper
Peninsula Telehealth Network, based at Marquette General
Health System, took home a prestigious “Cool
U.P. Award” at an awards ceremony held Aug. 20 in Escanaba.
Susan Makela, left, Director of Clinical
Telehealth at
Marquette General Health System, accepts the
Cool Award
from Michigan
Governor Jennifer Granholm.
(Photo by Sean Depuydt, Northern Waters Photography)
The U.P. Telehealth Network won the “Project – Community
Development” award given by the Upper Peninsula Economic
Development Alliance. Governor Jennifer Granholm presented the
awards during ceremonies held at M-TEC at Bay College.
The awards recognize businesses and organizations that make the Upper Peninsula
a “cool” place to live and work. Finalists were judged on a variety
of criteria, including the ability of a business or organization to attract
and retain youth in the U.P. and the uniqueness of projects, attractions, products,
services and workplaces.
The UPTN, one of eight “Cool” award-winners, began 10 years ago.
It serves the entire Upper Peninsula by providing clinical telemedicine for
patients and professional education for healthcare providers. A large number
of healthcare systems in the Upper Peninsula utilize its services.
“We’re thrilled to receive this award,” said Sally Davis, Program
Director of Telehealth and Grants Administration at Marquette General. “We’ve
worked very hard at building and establishing telehealth capabilities that are
as good, if not better, than anywhere in the country. This award is a reflection
of those efforts.”
There are many benefits to telehealth.
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In
many cases, telemedicine brings the specialist to the patient
in his/her hometown, avoiding the time, risk and cost of
travel. During 2003, telehealth patients saved $52,506 in
mileage alone. |
| * |
Health
professionals have increased access to continuing education
programs. More than 300 educational events are conducted
each year. |
| * |
Healthcare
organizations improve efficiency. One organization saves
approximately $3,000 in travel time and mileage each month
by videoconferencing department head/supervisor meetings. |
Since its inception,
the UPTN has grown from an eight-site network providing 275 annual
events to a 28-site network managing more than 6,000 connections
annually.
A number of state and federal officials were in attendance at the award ceremony,
including U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, State Sen. Mike
Prusi, State Rep. Rich Brown and Don Jakeway, head of the Michigan Economic
Development Corporation.
For more information on the UPTN, call 225-3018 or 1-800-562-9753, ext. 3018;
or access it on the web at www.mgh.org/telehealth/index.html.
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